Learn how to create websites with free tools
If before it was inconceivable to think of making a website or blog on your own without any technical knowledge, today the story is quite different. In fact, there are countless ways to create websites with free tools that you have at your disposal. It is only good to have a direction of what you want to do with the site and to know what steps to follow to create it.
To help you, we’ve made a guide to the essential steps and the services you can use to do this. If you want to know how to create websites with free tools, just check out the tips below!
Define the purpose of the site
First of all, it is very important that you already have the purpose of your website in mind before creating it. It is useless to choose the platform or the type of hosting that he will have if he does not know what he wants with the site before starting to do it.
This is what will help you to know better how to name the site, what type of design it should have and what parameters you should consider to know if it is being successful. You need to define what you want to achieve with your website.
All of this includes whether it is for professional reasons, personal reasons, whether it is to sell something, etc. These are the questions that even take us to the next topic.
Set the site type
Once you have a better sense of the purpose of your website, you also need to define what type of website it will be. Having a website to work from home is a very viable option to earn extra income, for example.
But it is good to keep in mind if you want to make a type of blog to write, if it will be a virtual store, a news site, a virtual portfolio etc. Knowing this, it is easier to know which platform to use. It is worth mentioning that they can all be managed only when working at home.
After all, there are much more appropriate tools for those who want to make a blog and others better for those who want to create a store to sell their products. The same goes for your future hosting plan, as a portfolio will never have the same flow of visits as a store, for example.
Think of the name and domain
As you can imagine, choosing the name and domain is another very important part when creating websites with free tools. The name should not only give you a good idea of what the site has to offer, but it should be easy to remember.
There is no point in doing something very complicated or that most people will forget after a few days. This also applies to the domain of the website, that is, the way it appears in the URL of those who are visiting it.
The recommendation is to try to avoid using too many special characters, something that can complicate or confuse the visitor. After all, it sucks to have to explain that you need to type a word without a "ç" or "~" to enter your site.
Another thing to consider is that the domain you choose may already exist and be owned. So that this doesn't happen, test all the name and domain ideas you have on a specialized website.
This can be found on hosting services, but if you haven't chosen one yet, you can use other tools. The BR Registry, for example, lets you see if the domain you choose is free or if it belongs to someone else.
Choose accommodation
Hosting is one of the most important elements when creating websites with free tools. It is the hosting that will keep your website stable, with safe backup and with enough storage for everything that is posted on it.
There are numerous services and plans that you can consider when choosing accommodation. This includes sites like Hostgator and GoDaddy, which are some of the best known today.
But before deciding which service to use, it is good to have some parameters in mind. This will change from site to site, so we've separated some of the most important factors to consider:
1. Number of visits
Knowing what kind of site you are going to, you can estimate more or less how many visits you expect per month. A website that only serves with a portfolio should not receive thousands of visits per month, for example.
A store or a news site, on the other hand, will have one with a very large volume and which should grow as the site becomes better known. Take this into account, but be aware that you can change the plan to something that will support more visits if needed.
For that reason, there is no point in hiring a plan with many more visits than you need right from the start.
2. Storage
Different plans offer different packages of online storage. This will also depend a lot on the size of your website and the amount of information and data that will be added in the future.
Of course, there are ways to optimize this, especially when compressing images, but it's a good idea to ensure a good initial limit for storage.
3. Backup
As simple as it may seem these days, not all hosting plans offer backup for your website. Still, it is obviously a very important factor in ensuring that you do not miss anything in the event that something goes wrong.
So always remember what each plan offers and, if you can, choose one that is guaranteed to be backed up.
4. Cost-effective
Finally, it is also essential to consider the cost benefit of the plan you are considering purchasing. It's no use, for example choosing something very expensive that offers much more than you need at the beginning of your site.
Likewise, there is no point in choosing an extremely cheap plan that does not provide the minimum you will need for its stable operation. We recommend that you choose something more balanced and give you a little break from what you think you will need in the first few months.
Free tools you can use
With your goals and your chosen website name, it's time to think about which platform to use for your creation. There are a number of tools you can use right now depending on what type of website you want to create. Below, we have separated some of the main ones:
1. WordPress
There is no better platform to start these recommendations than WordPress. For those who don't know, this is the most used platform for creating websites, blogs and stores in the world.
One of its advantages besides free of charge is that it is very simple to use. This goes even for those who have no knowledge or experience with the creation of websites.
Another really cool factor is that WordPress has many themes that you can use. Some are very basic and free and others are created by other users and have a more professional design and need to be purchased.
Anyway, even with the themes, you can customize the site the way you prefer. This ends up being even more evident with the use of available plugins. You can check more by accessing the link.
2. Blogger
If WordPress is a good option for almost any type of website, Blogger is definitely the alternative for those who want to make their own Blog. Despite being a Google service, it is much more limited when creating a website.
So it is much better when it comes to something smaller and that doesn't need to get much bigger in the future. Taking this into account, it has good customization options and has its own advantages.
As it is from Google, you only need a Gmail account to use it, for example. Other than that, it is easier to integrate Google Ads on your website and pages are always indexed more quickly.
Another factor to consider is that it is possible to migrate Blogger to another platform at any time. This makes it a lot easier if you start a small blog or news site and need something bigger eventually. If you are interested, just access the link to check out more.
3. Wix
Another interesting suggestion for those who want to create websites with free tools is Wix. Even for its advertisements, it is one of the best known options for the general public on our list.
It can basically be used for any type of website you need, but it is very popular with those who want to set up a digital store. It offers excellent options for this and can be used for free.
Of course, there are also paid plans if you prefer certain benefits, but it is not so necessary. If you found it interesting, just go to the official website.
4. Weebly
Weebly is not that well known, but it is also great for making websites for free. Like others on our list for creating websites with free tools, it can be used for stores, portfolios and blogs, etc.
Unfortunately, it may be more limited in some ways, but it is an option to consider. You can even use it just to put together your website idea and know what you could do before you actually move on with your creation.
One advantage is that it has a very interesting mobile app to manage your website directly on your smartphone. Check out more at the link below.
5. Yola
Our next suggestion is Yola, which may be more suitable for beginners in creating websites. It is more limited than some alternatives on our list, so you may want to use it just to test your initial idea.
We say this because in the free version, it is only possible to have three pages per site, for example. Other than that, it is only possible to have 1 GB of file storage and there are not so many ready-made layouts available.
Still, as we said earlier, it is a good tool for testing ideas and trying to put things into practice before the final project. You can check out more by accessing the link.
6. Simvoly
Unlike some others, Simvoly is practically all aimed at those who want to create their online store. It even has layouts and templates ready specifically for this.
There are still special tools you can implement to turn casual visitors into customers. You can test this and much more for free before deciding whether you want the paid benefits of the platform. Check everything by accessing their official website.
7. PrestaShop
Another good platform for those who want to create websites with free tools is PrestaShop. It is also aimed at virtual stores and ecommerce for those who want another alternative in this area.
The cool thing is that the platform has a very interesting community of users who help each other to create and implement certain features. They can be free or paid depending on their complexity.
There is also a great forum with tips, tutorials and posts to answer questions. Everything to make you feel at ease when creating your website.
It is really great for anyone who wants to make money on the internet, especially if it is to manage it with their digital bank. Check out more at the link below.
8. Webflow
We have already seen many options for those who want to create websites with free tools without design experience. Webflow is the alternative for those who have this knowledge and want to apply it in the creation of their website.
You do not need to program or tamper with the website code, but you have more freedom when changing the design. This can help you have a website that is much more personalized and with your face.
It is very easy to use and the changes made are applied quickly and very intuitively. You can check all this by accessing the link.
9. Dunked
Dunked is a more suitable platform for those looking for something to create a portfolio. This is especially true for design professionals who need a page to show their work in a simple and clean way.
Like so many others, it already has ready-made and very beautiful layouts. Everything exactly thought about creating portfolios, so you don't even have to worry about changing or customizing many elements.
The cool thing is that this goes for both those who will be viewing your website on the PC and on the smartphone. After all, they also offer a very responsive design for mobile devices. You can check this and more on the official website.
10. Silex
Finally, we have Silex on our list to create sites with free tools. It is worth mentioning that this is an open source platform, so you have more chances of customization to leave the site exactly as you imagine.
Still, you don't need to have programming knowledge exactly. After all, the platform already has several layouts and ready-made templates that you can use.
Some are more basic and free and others are more professional and paid. Anyway, it is a very versatile option that is worth trying. You can check out more by accessing the link below.
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